1. Technical Field
The present disclosure is generally directed to systems and methods for delivering projectiles, in particular to devices for launching incendiary projectiles.
2. Related Art
In 2003 wildland fires in the United States burned 4,918,088 acres. The cost to fight these fires is estimated at $1,326,138,000. Accordingly, methods for fighting fires as well as preventing fires can conserve financial resources as well as preserve life and natural resources. One such method includes a technique known as spot-firing.
During the early 1960s, Australian foresters developed a spot-firing technique using ignition devices dropped from aircraft onto 5,000- to 10,000-acre blocks of eucalyptus forests to ignite fires to consume the litter and reduce the fire hazard. This early system consisted of a small plastic capsule containing potassium permanganate. A syringe was used to inject ethylene glycol into the plastic capsule, and then the charged device was dropped from an aircraft. The exothermic reaction resulted in spot fires where the device landed.
The pharmaceutical vials used by the Australians to contain the potassium permanganate were satisfactory for manual dispensers, but their irregular shape caused malfunctions when used in faster machines. The Alberta Department of Land Management and Forest, Equipment Development Section, introduced a spherical container.
Commercially available aerial ignition systems use a plastic sphere dispenser. In these systems, balls containing potassium permanganate are placed into the machine and injected with glycol. The ensuing chemical reaction causes the balls to ignite in 20 to 30 seconds. As the balls are dropped, they create a burn line. With an operator sitting in the back seat with the dispenser, and a pilot and “burn boss” up front, the helicopter loiters along the fire while the burn boss signals when to drop the balls. Although aerial ignition systems are useful for generating spot fires, they suffer from certain limitations. For example, aerial ignitions systems are typically motorized and mounted to a helicopter. These systems are not adaptable for ground ignition because of their large size, lack of mobility, and power requirements.